U.S. authorities have reportedly disrupted a plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist within the country, raising concerns over alleged involvement by the Indian government, according to the Financial Times on November 22.
The sources did not clarify whether the protest to India resulted in the abandonment of the plot or if it was thwarted by the FBI.
The protest to New Delhi was lodged after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s June state visit to the U.S., following which the report indicates a diplomatic warning was issued.
This development follows Canada’s assertion, two months prior, of “credible” allegations linking Indian agents to the June murder of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Vancouver. India has vehemently denied the accusations as “motivated” and “absurd.”
Alongside the diplomatic warning to India, U.S. federal prosecutors have reportedly filed a sealed indictment against at least one suspect in a New York district court, as per the FT report.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, identified as the target of the foiled plot, declined to confirm if U.S. authorities had warned him but stated he would let the U.S.
government addressed the issue of threats to his life on American soil from Indian operatives. Pannun, like Nijjar, advocates for Khalistan, seeking an independent Sikh homeland from India.
Canada collaborated closely with the U.S. on intelligence related to potential Indian involvement in Nijjar’s murder, according to a senior Canadian government source.
The FT report notes that the U.S. shared details of the thwarted plot with a broader group of allies following Canada’s public accusation.
